Writing Activities

[Guest]

I would be interested to know how other people plan for writing stories,etc and sentences just to get other ideas. In our setting we encourage the child to say the sentence first, then count how many words in the sentence- we then draw that number of lines for them( or the better ones draw their own lines) .The children then repeat each word whilst attempting to write the sounds they can hear in each word - the poorer ones might just do initial sounds and the better ones write each word phonically. What other ways could we plan the transitional writing phase from 'play writing' to formal writing?

[Guest]

I like that idea. Will try it next week!

I often start a sentence with the whole group eg. I can see a ... and we plan that starter together. The children then finish the sentence themselves. For more able I then ask a question about their first sentence to lead them to write a second.

[Guest]

We do counting words and writing as much of each word as possible. we also do wordcards which the children sequence in order and then copy/stick onto paper. We also do copy writing at times.

[Guest]

My system to promote independent writing is in three steps:

1. Model class sentences with the children on the white board.

2. Simple dictated sentences on individual white boards as children become ready (can be photocopied for evidence if needed).

3. Photocopied picture at top of paper. Discuss with children what sentences they could write about the picture (get their ideas). Children go and write own sentence.

 

All the way through we count the words in our sentences, put them on our fingers, talk about leaving finger spaces between words etc etc. The children have access to individual alphabet sheets with starting point of each letter shown, class word bank and individual digraph sheets (all the digraph action pics from the JP handwriting sheets cut and pasted onto 2 sides of A4 card)

 

As a class we have just learnt to spell "because" and the more able writers are being encouraged to use it to extend their sentences. [i dont ever use mnemonics for spelling - we learn "because" by chanting it rap style. Music works every time ]

[Guest]

Wow!! It sounds like your writers are way beyond mine. Do you get a group to all attempt the same sentence together or to write different sentences for each child?

[Guest]

The dictated sentence is the same for all children in the group. The sentence to go with the pic is individual depending on the child's choice. These are unsupported activities, which the children go off to separate tables to do whilst the remaining children do a class sentence with me. (For the dictated sentence I get each child to repeat it back to me before they go off and my TA will hover to remind them if they forget).

[Guest]

I have 10 children out of 30 who could attempt to write ind, 5 are still tracing over letters etc and the rest are having a go at writing their own sentences but they need an adult to dictate what it is they want to say so that they can hear the sounds. I am desperately trying to get them to repeat their sentence themselves - ill def try counting the words in their own sentence tomorrow that sounds like a good idea

[Guest]

I have 10 children out of 30 who could attempt to write ind, 5 are still tracing over letters etc and the rest are having a go at writing their own sentences but they need an adult to dictate what it is they want to say so that they can hear the sounds. I am desperately trying to get them to repeat their sentence themselves - ill def try counting the words in their own sentence tomorrow that sounds like a good idea

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I have a group of six children who are able to write their own sentences and use a word book.This, I have found is a good start to dictionary work when they reach that level of ability in year one. They do however have to tell me the initial letter of the word that they require and 'have a go' at the rest of the word as I write it for them. For the middle range we have word books but the emphasis is on constructing the sentence/s including initial letter sounds for each word and other letters if they can identify them, spaces between words and capital letters and full stops. The lower ability just concentrate on the sentence and write over dots or write underneath my writing, depending on what level they are at. I do however have three children who cannot yet hold a pencil properly and we are doing lots of work with pencil control and muscle development with play-dough. I always work in small groups of four and although time consuming, actually has its rewards. I also find it easier to record as I go along and then the assessment is easier at the end of the day.

[Guest]

Hi inchworm and welcome to the forum

[Marion]

We had a training day today ......part of it was on writing and hopefully improving standards in school. We are planning on adopting Ros Wilson's structured approach. Has anyone used it?

[Susan]

oh an answer to my question !! Dont know that but would like to know more!

[Marion]

Feeling almost human now...........maybe and a bit inquisitive

 

http://www.twentytwentyvision.org.uk/bigwriting.htm

[Susan]

so was I???

 

So will it work?

[Marion]

erm ............tell you next year!

[Susan]

[Guest]

We have just started the dictated sentence having had our synthetic phonics training last term. I'm getting bored with it already so any good ideas on how to liven up writing the dictated sentence would be very much appreciated.

Up until now we have always done emergent writing (after sentence has been modelled in shared writing) so it is going to be interesting to see what impact the more formal approach has.

Trudie